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Hill digs in on Petraeus scandal

Rogers and Ruppersberger plan to press the FBI on the timeline of the investigation | AP Photo

Feinstein has questioned how long it took for her committee to learn about an FBI investigation into Petraeus’s relationship with Broadwell, who co-wrote a highly laudatory biography of Petraeus.

Feinstein also said during an MSNBC interview Monday that she was upset to learn that the CIA was withholding an internal report on a recent Petraeus trip to Benghazi, a document that has not been turned over to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

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“I believe that Director Petraeus made a trip to [Libya] shortly before this became public,” Feinstein said. “I believe that there is a trip report. We have asked to see the trip report. One person tells me he has read it. And then we try to get it, and they tell me it hasn’t been done. That’s unacceptable. We are entitled to this trip report, and if we have to go to the floor of the Senate on a subpoena, we will do just that.”

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), will on Tuesday receive a classified briefing on the Benghazi attack from top State Department officials. That briefing is not expected to include information on the Petraeus scandal, according to Senate aides.

FBI agents learned about a romantic relationship between Petraeus and Broadwell several months ago, according to sources familiar with the probe. Broadwell was suspected of sending “harassing” emails to Jill Kelley, a family friend close to Petraeus. Kelley asked an acquaintance at the FBI for help dealing with the situation, according to The Washington Post, and federal agents then uncovered the extramarital affair between Petraeus and Broadwell.

Petraeus and Broadwell were both interviewed by FBI agents as part of the investigation, with Broadwell first questioned on Oct. 21. Petraeus was interviewed a week later, according to news reports.

Yet FBI agents did not brief Clapper until Nov. 6. Clapper then met with Petraeus and told the ex-general to step down. Petraeus scheduled a 0ne-on-one meeting with Obama, White House officials said.

Before any of this unfolded, however, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) on Oct. 27 learned — through an FBI employee who first contacted Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) — about Petraeus’s affair and the subsequent investigation. The FBI employee was reportedly concerned that the bureau was dragging its feet on the Petraeus probe.

Four days later, Cantor’s top aide, Steve Stombres, spoke to FBI Director Robert Mueller, Cantor’s office has confirmed.

Cantor did not tell Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) or other members of the House GOP leadership about the scandal. “We found out when we heard it on TV,” said a top leadership aide who doesn’t work for Cantor.

But Cantor’s involvement in the matter raises questions about what impact that had on the FBI or whether it affected the bureau’s timing in telling Clapper and other intelligence officials.

In another surprising development in an already shocking case, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday night that the FBI agent originally contacted by Jill Kelly — the same agent who opened the “preliminary investigation” that led to Petraeus’ downfall — was later suspended by the bureau after allegedly sending “shirtless pictures of himself to Ms. Kelley, according to the people familiar with the probe.”

This FBI was the one who contacted Reichert— which led to Cantor’s call to Mueller — “because he was concerned senior FBI officials were going to sweep the matter under the rug, the officials said.”

“By that point, FBI agents had determined the harassing emails had been sent by Paula Broadwell, who had written a biography of Mr. Petraeus’s military command,” the Wall Street Journal also reported.

And Charlotte-based news organizations reported that FBI agents were searching Broadwell’s home Monday night. It is unclear what the federal agents are looking for or why they were conducting the search after the news of her relationship with Petraeus had already become public.

Readers' Comments (98)

So the FBI took it upon themselves to investigate Gen Petraeus without informing the president, seems like someone in the FBI just bought himself some trouble too. Informing the president on Nov 8 is not a good thing.

But I would rather see Petraeus allowed to fade into the sunset, one mistake should not tarnish an entire career.

The members of Congress have again become overwhelmed with their own sense of self-importance and how they view their oversight role. The basic question would be what was their need to know and when did they need to know it? The Congress is hardly a leak proof organization, OBL learned that his phone was being tapped from the statements of a sitting US Senator. Benghazi is a reasonable topic of dis-cussion, however, the former DCI's affairs are not particuarly their business.

The question now becomes since Eric Cantor knew about this investigation since he is the one who took the whistle-blower to the FBI, why did Cantor not inform anyone about the FBI investigation, or did he tell his Republican buddies and they kept it quiet. Any investigation that takes place, Eric Cantor is going to be in the middle of it.

Look, you either need to subpoena David Petraeus and compel him to testify, or you can ALL resign and go home. If he needs to get immunity to get him to tell the ENTIRE truth, MAKE SURE that you get the whole story. He's already perjured himself by repeating Obama's blatant lie about some damned video.

Like anyone believes that Obama hadn't been made aware of the Petraeus investigation prior to the election? The director of the FBI has regular meetings with Obama on security. Evidently the FBI knew that Broadwell had classified info in fact she was out in Denver in October talking about the Benghazi consulate and the CIA annex being the real target of the attacks, never a protest, but terrorism because the CIA was holding 2 militants there. Petraeus came out on Sept 14th and stated it was because of the video. Some bluff, more like blackmail.

So really, if Ms.Broadwell knew so much ya think that it's wise not to inform the POTUS? lol,, because he already knew about the General's affair and just wanted to keep a lid on it until after the election. America got screwed out of the truth and we re-elected O'Nixon and his coverup team. keep the General from testifying at any cost. The good news is the House is still Republican and they can impeach Obama.

Petraeus's testimony on Benghazi would have been of much more value than any other witness's, and thus more potentially damaging to Obama. We know that Americans were under attack, and that both the CIA and the State Department were aware of it in real time. We also know that U.S. aircraft stationed at Sigonella, Italy, could have flown to their aid in less than an hour to suppress the attack and possibly save American lives. And we know that Petraeus -- a former top commander who knows how to use air power, special forces, and all the other tools of war -- would have been pressed by the committee on why those aircraft weren't ordered in during the course of a seven-hour attack.

In short, Petraeus was in a position to know more, and explain better than anyone else other than Hillary Clinton or President Obama, what precisely happened here while the Benghazi attack went on. If he were honest -- and that has to be presumed -- his testimony could have blown the Benghazi affair sky high.

I'm more concerned about why our Comedian-In-Chief didn't immediately relieve him of his position. Our chief spy in a compromised situation and no one did anything about it? If he didn't know he should have. I'm sure they could have reached him on the golf course.

Like anyone believes that Obama hadn't been made aware of the Petraeus investigation prior to the election? The director of the FBI has regular meetings with Obama on security. Evidently the FBI knew that Broadwell had classified info in fact she was out in Denver in October talking about the Benghazi consulate and the CIA annex being the real target of the attacks, never a protest, but terrorism because the CIA was holding 2 militants there. Petraeus came out on Sept 14th and stated it was because of the video. Some bluff, more like blackmail.

So really, if Ms.Broadwell knew so much ya think that it's wise not to inform the POTUS? lol,, because he already knew about the General's affair and just wanted to keep a lid on it until after the election. America got screwed out of the truth and we re-elected O'Nixon and his coverup team. keep the General from testifying at any cost. The good news is the House is still Republican and they can impeach Obama.

Petraeus's testimony on Benghazi would have been of much more value than any other witness's, and thus more potentially damaging to Obama. We know that Americans were under attack, and that both the CIA and the State Department were aware of it in real time. We also know that U.S. aircraft stationed at Sigonella, Italy, could have flown to their aid in less than an hour to suppress the attack and possibly save American lives. And we know that Petraeus -- a former top commander who knows how to use air power, special forces, and all the other tools of war -- would have been pressed by the committee on why those aircraft weren't ordered in during the course of a seven-hour attack.

In short, Petraeus was in a position to know more, and explain better than anyone else other than Hillary Clinton or President Obama, what precisely happened here while the Benghazi attack went on. If he were honest -- and that has to be presumed -- his testimony could have blown the Benghazi affair sky high.

It discusses why Petraeus and other men would cheat. Nowhere in the article does it mention that his consort was just as married and cheated, too. In fact, it does not even mention Broadwell. So the question should (more accurately) have been "Why do people cheat?", not "Why do men cheat?"......

So there's no explanation of why the author is blaming Petraeus and not blaming the married biographer-woman, or even talking about her.. The author is a woman, however, so that may be the reason.

We know that Americans were under attack, and that both the CIA and the State Department were aware of it in real time. We also know that U.S. aircraft stationed at Sigonella, Italy, could have flown to their aid in less than an hour to suppress the attack and possibly save American lives.

LOL- you have no idea of how fast an RPG travels, do you? Let me give you a hint- it takes far less than an hour for it to hit its target when launched. Teabaggers crack me up.

It's called getting some strange stuff- what part of that are you unclear on?

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It must be a blessing to be incurious like you?

It's important to know WHY the good general acknowledged a terrorist strike in Libya, THEN went in front of a congressional commitee to call the Benghazi strike a spontaneous reaction to an inflammatory video...You know, the Obama line. The line that we ALL knew was a lie.

The General perjured himself, and we need some answers---NOW!!!! I say that we frog-march the community organizer from the White House. What say you?

They better hurry up and talk to Patreaus because I have a feeling he may end up in Fort Marcy Park with a gun in his hand because ' he just couldn't take the shame of what he did'...wink wink...With Al Capone at the helm for 4 more years, Lord only knows what these 4 years hold.And we HAD THE CHANCE TO GET RID OF HIM ! GGGRRRR.....BECK REVISITS HIS PREDICTION THAT PATRAEUS WILL TAKE THE FALL FOR LIBYA : THAT'S THE WAY THE MOB WORKS, GANG...read at The Blaze

It's important to know WHY the good general acknowledged a terrorist strike in Libya, THEN went in front of a congressional commitee to call the Benghazi strike a spontaneous reaction to an inflammatory video ... What say you?

I'm far more curious about what you think it means- here's my opinion- sometimes a cigar is just a cigar- I have no reason to conflate this into some ludicrous byzantine web of intrigue. You have every reason to, and have wasted no time doing it.